Sunday, December 18, 2016

The officers, members and partners in peace advocacy of United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD), a Moro Youth organization based in Cotabato City are in deep grieve with the fatal shooting of UNYPAD-Quezon City Chapter Chairman Yasser Mangelen in Barangay Culiat, Tandang Sora, Quezon City on Saturday night at around 8PM.

Based on the report to Luwaran.com, Yasser was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital but declared dead-on-arrival (DOA) due to gun-shot wounds. The police are still conducting an in-depth investigation on Mr. Mangelen’s shooting.

The angle being look at by the police for the senseless killing of Mangelen is ‘tribal feud in the area among residents who belong to various ethnic tribes.

Yasser is a peace advocate and a very active young Moro leader in Quezon City whose roots are from Mindanao.

Along with his colleagues, he participated in various peace demonstrations in support to the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the two Chambers of Congress during the Aquino administration.

He also initiated clean-up drive community out-reach activities that included relief operations and organized capacity building programs for their officers and members in Barangay Culiat.

Yasser has left four children with his wife. They are calling the authorities to give justice for his death.

The UNYPAD family with various chapters in Mindanao is mourning his death and asked the Quezon City Police to conduct an impartial investigation and put those who were involved in the crime behind bars.

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Dec 18): Bangsamoro CSOs appeal for OIC’s sustained support to unity of the two Fronts

The Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations leaders who attended in a national summit wrote a letter to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to sustain its support to the unity of Moro National Liberation Front and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) towards the realization of the Bangsamoro people’s right to self-determination.

Around 120 CSO leaders attended the Bangsamoro Multi-Sectoral Leaders’ Summit for Unity and Solidarity held at Davao City on December 5-9, 2016.

In the letter addressed to the OIC Secretary General Dr. Yusuf Bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, the delegates said they fully agree with the position of the OIC that there is an imperative for the two Bangsamoro Fronts to work together towards attaining a just conclusion of their legitimate struggle.

“We are therefore appealing for your urgent and sustained support to asser your moral persuasion to help fast track the unity of the MNLF and MILF,” the delegates said in the letter.

They said the unity of the two Fronts will pave way toward a unified law that will lead to stronger governance and eventually to the attainment of the Bangsamoro right to self-determination.

The OIC head said in December 12, 2015 that the leaders of the two Fronts should consolidate their coordination and cooperation through the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) and to engage other stakeholders in order to close ranks, strengthen and consolidate their cooperation and unity and maintain their peaceful struggle for common cause.

The OIC, the second biggest international body after the United Nations, has brokered the peace talks between the MNLF and the Philippine Government and facilitated the Tripartite Review.

It further facilitated the coming together of MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari and MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim at Dushanbe, Tajikistan on may 18, 2010 where the two leaders agreed that “unity is indispensable to the success of the Bangsamoro struggle.”

The OIC continued to host several meetings between the MNLF and MILF through the BCF.

The CSO leaders also noted the high level of trust of the two Fronts to the OIC and the friendly diplomatic ties it has with the Government of the Philippines.

President Rodrigo Duterte once again warned of the eventual abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, saying America should pay the Philippines should it wish for its soldiers to continue staying in the country.

“According to the Supreme Court, the VFA is… an Executive Agreement... hindi (not a) Treaty. So, start packing your things. Start packing your things and get out of my country,” said Duterte in a speech during the 38th birthday party of Senator Manny Pacquiao in General Santos City on Saturday, December 17.

“You want to come back here? You pay us. You want bases here? Pay us. Transaction tayo, pera-pera nalang tayo, mabuti pa (Let’s just have a monetary transaction, which would be better),” he added, earning him applause from the crowd.

In his speech on Thursday, Duterte said the Philippines does not need US troops for now.

“Wala, wala namang giyera ngayon (There’s no war now). Why would I allow you here? You want to create World War III? If you do that, if all the nuclear explosives are really – this planet is, won’t be around tomorrow. It’s the end for all of us, so why would be pick up a fight with anybody?” said Duterte.

The VFA, however, is a 1999 treaty that can only be repealed by an act of Congress. It outlined guidelines for the conduct of American troops visiting the Philippines. The agreement is the foundation for military exercises between the Philippines and the US, some of which the Duterte administration has already stopped.

Demanding US soldiers?

The President also questioned why American troops supposedly demand air-conditioning units and certain food in camp.

“According to the latest information, they have been assigned to Southeast Asia, with a base in South Philippines,” said Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar, Head of the Indonesian Police Public Relations Division in Jakarta on Thursday, December 15.

Besides Bahrun Naim, Amar said several members of Jamaah Ansorut Daulah (JAD), who have been living in Syria have also moved to the Philippines "like Bahrun Syam and Abu Whalid alias Syaifudin."

Amar described Naim as the facilitator and recruiter of new ISIS cells in Indonesia. This is based on testimonies of terror suspects who have been arrested. The majority of them were in direct contact with Naim.

Amar said that as of Thursday, the Densus 88 special anti-terror squad had captured 11 terror suspects from the M. Nur Solikhin or MNS terrorist network that had planned to carry out an attack at the presidential palace. Two of the suspects were a married couple identified by the initials TS alias UA and HG.

The couple was arrested in a rented house in Tasikmalaya, West Java on Thursday morning. TS is suspected to have introduced one of the other alleged terrorists, DYN, to MNS who later became her husband.

DYN, MNS, and one other person, identified by the initials AS, were arrested on Saturday, December 12. They were suspected of planning to bomb the presidential palace. Police found explosives in a rice cooker in DNY’s rented house in Bekasi, just outside of Jakarta, last Saturday.

There are doubts about the claims of the Indonesian Police that Bahrun Naim has left Syria for the Philippines. If true, it will be the first confirmation of direct links between ISIS fighters and local terrorist groups.

ISIS FIGHTER IN PH? Indonesian Police Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar, Head of the Indonesian Police Public Relations Division in Jakarta, is claiming an Indonesian-born ISIS fighter has left Syria for the Philippines. Photo from Antara

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Eduardo Año said they did not monitor the supposed entry of Indonesian-born Islamic State (ISIS) fighter Bahrun Naim in the Philippines to link up with local terrorist groups.

Bahrun Naim is reportedly a founding member of Katibah Nusantara, the grouping of Southeast Asian fighters in Syria. He was tagged by the Indonesian Police to be behind the terrorist attacks in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, in January.

"We don't have any report of his presence here. But I'll have it checked," Año told Rappler in a text message on Sunday, December 18.

But there are doubts about the claims of the Indonesian Police. Sydney Jones, the director of a Jakarta-based think tank tracking terrorists in Southeast Asia, also said the claims of the Indonesian Police are "not true".

If the claims of the Indonesian Police are true, it will be the first confirmation of direct links between ISIS fighters and local terrorist groups in the Philippines.

The foreign terrorist group's propaganda arm has actively pushed videos of pro-ISIS groups in the Philippines, however. In June, men believed to be ISIS also called on followers to go to the Philippines. (READ: ISIS to followers SE Asia: 'Go to the Philippines')

The Philippine military has intensified its offensive against pro-ISIS terrorist groups in the Philippines, particularly against the Abu Sayyaf Group operating in Sulu and Basilan and the Maute Group operating in Lanao Del Sur. (READ: 4 PH terror groups link up with pro-ISIS fighters in region)

The Philippine military has reported the presence of foreign fighters in the Philippines, but none of them have fought in Syria.

The Left called President Rodrigo Duterte out on his latest threat to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US, daring him to “just do it already.”

Duterte again said he would scrap the defense pact after the US Millennium Challenge Corporation withheld millions of dollars in aid over concerns at the thousands of deaths from the administration’s war on drugs.

“We have heard this warning many times. It's time for the President to make real his pronouncements. He has our support on this one,” Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, said in a statement Sunday.

“It is time to end the VFA and expel the US troops that have been permanently stationed in the Philippines. It is time we stop being a US neo-colony,” he added.

At the same time, Reyes blasted the US’ “unparalleled hypocrisy,” claiming the “real reason for the withdrawal of US funding is … retaliation over Duterte's independent foreign policy and assertion of sovereignty against the US.”

“The US wants to use human rights to pressure Duterte to backtrack on his assertion of Independence,” he claimed.

Nevertheless, Reyes stressed that they “hold the Duterte government accountable” for “the continuing human rights violations in the Philippines” and called on the President “to stop the killings, stop the US-directed counterinsurgency program and free all political prisoners.”

From InterAksyon (Dec 18): GRP has freed only 1 prisoner, everyone else is conditional or on merits - rights lawyer

Bernabe Ocasla, the first political prisoner to die under the Duterte administration

Government has no reason to feel magnanimous over the release of political prisoners because it has freed only one so far, with the rest who are out of prison either freed temporarily for the peace talks or on the merits of their cases, a human rights lawyer said.

Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of People’s Lawyers -- whose members represent most of the detinees -- noted that while 19 consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines were freed as part of the resumed peace negotiations, all of them have had to post bail.

And, he stressed, a “Damocles Sword” hangs over them because their release is only for six months, although defense counsel “successfully extended” this by another six months for half of them with a possible extension for the rest to be negotiated when the third round of talks takes place in Rome in late January.

This means, he said, that there is “pressure and the threat they might be returned to prison if this cannot be negotiated.”

Twenty other detainees “have been released on various modes (bail, acquittal, dismissal, service of sentence, etc.) on their own merits through the routinary judicial procedure, independent of the peace process” since August, he added.

Thus, he said, only one convicted prisoner has actually been freed “through the peace negotiations by way of belated pardon,” although he explained that the recommendation for the release on pardon had been made during the previous administration.

In the meantime, Olalia said, one prisoner has died and two have been hospitalized for serious ailments.

“That is the tragedy and irony,” he said. “More political prisoners are being freed through the usual tortuous tortoise (paced) judicial route than via a hare of promises.”

"Government may perhaps claim to be magnanimous over the release of political prisoners only if it actually releases immediately all the sick and elderly,” Olalia said.

Efforts by the NDFP and government -- which have resumed formal peace negotiations -- to forge a bilateral ceasefire agreement have been stymied by the continued detention of the more than 400 political prisoners, who the rebels said President Rodrigo Duterte had promised to grant a general amnesty, as well as alleged violations by the military of the government’s unilateral ceasefire.

Recently, Duterte, while saying he will free some 150 sick and elderly prisoners by Christmas, has demanded that the rebels sign the bilateral ceasefire agreement first before he will allow any more releases.

The NDFP has said they are open to negotiating and signing a “more stable and principled bilateral ceasefire but the violations of the spirit of (the) present unilateral ceasefires must be addressed,” Olalia said.

The rebels have also said a bilateral ceasefire agreement should only take effect 48 hours after the actual release of all political prisoners.

The provincial government of Lanao del Sur have launched a series of multi-sectoral summits aimed at containing religious extremism and narcotics that created unstable peace and order and stalled development in the province, officials said today.

In a statement, Lanao del Sur Gov. Soraya A. Adiong said Lanao Sur’s prevalent poverty and unstable peace were used by militant Maute Group to propagate religious extremism that made Marawi City and surrounding towns of Lake Lanao “unsafe.”

“During our teenage years, it was safe for us to roam around Marawi City even in the evenings, not afraid of any violence and danger,” the 66-year old Adiong said. “These days, current events in our province involving a group of local terrorists have kept us in the news the past couple of weeks,” Adiong admitted.

To bring back the old days, Adiong said, she decided to seek stakeholders’ participation in the government’s fight against illegal drugs, religious extremism and poverty.

Six summits were held in Marawi City and nearby municipalities attended by academic, political, business, traditional and religious sectors to craft measures that will save the province from the hands of extremists and jihadists.

During the summits, calls for federalism as an anti-dote against extremism and poverty became even louder in support to President Duterte’s advocacy for Mindanao.

Efforts were brought down to community level with stakeholders, including police and military officials and officials of Mindanao State University, explaining the ills of extremism and narcotics.

It was Adiong’s reaction to reports that some Arabic and Islamic schools (Madaris) have become “breeding grounds for radicalism.”

In one of the meetings, Islamic preacher Ismael Menk, an international peace advocate, talked about “misinterpretations” by jihadist of the Qur’an scriptures to promote terrorism as what the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Maute Group have been espousing ISIS ideology, bombing areas in Mindanao. The group was blamed for the September 2 bombing in Davao City that left 15 dead and 60 wounded. Eight of its members allegedly involved in Davao bombing are now in government custody.

Dr. Habib Macaayong, MSU president, said the state college has lined up more peace summits next year. President Duterte was invited as keynote speaker on the MSU-sponsored peace summit on February 2017.

In line with efforts to ensure the seaworthiness of all its available vessels, the Philippine Navy (PN) has allocated the sum of PHP30,156,180.84 for the repairs and refurbishing of one of its five landing craft heavies (LCHs), the BRP Waray.

The sum is intended for the maintenance of the above-mentioned vessel.

BRP Waray is one of the five former Balikpapan-class LCHs acquired from the Royal Australian Navy.

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 18): Revoking of VFA was just a warning – Palace

Malacanang on Sunday clarified that President Rodrigo Duterte was just warning when he said he told the United States to prepare for abrogation of the Visiting Forces of Agreement (VFA).

”It was a warning. It was really something the President said he will void,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag said in an interview with state-owned dzRB.

In his arrival speech from Singapore last Friday night, President Duterte told the US to prepare the revocation of the VFA after what he thought the Philippines has been stricken out of the US aid agency Millennium Challenge Corporation.

”We will wait for the next President’s move and what the advisers can say,” Banaag said.

Banaag said the Palace would also wait for the latest development in the coming days after the Millennium Challenge reportedly deferred a vote on a renewal of the US$ 400 million development assistance package for the Philippines.

President Duterte said if the Philippines will lose US$ 400 million assistance from the Millennium Challenge, China “has the kindest soul” to give the Philippines 50 billion.”

The President said the Philippines can survive “without American money.”

Banaag said the PCO has yet to ask the President if the "50 billion" is in dollar.

”I wish we could ask it right away if it is in dollar or Philippine peso,” she said.

Banaag said they will also confirmed from Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez if there was indeed an offer from China.

”If there was an offer, so there are yet negotiations about the offer as to whether it will be given without conditions because the President is sensitive about these things if there are conditions or none,” she explained.

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 18): AFP to replace IPSP 'Bayanihan' with new campaign plan

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will be implementing a new campaign plan to win and maintain the peace in the countryside aside from defeating national security threats.

This was bared by AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo Sunday.

The new campaign plan will replace Internal Peace and Security Program "Bayanihan," which is scheduled to end this year after being first implemented in Dec. 22, 2010.

The latter aims to “provide the strategic guidance in the performance of (the AFP’s) mandated functions of protecting the state and the people. It shall help AFP units in planning for and contributing to the attainment of internal peace and security.”

Arevalo said AFP chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Eduardo M. Año would formally announce the name of the new campaign plan during the AFP Foundation Day this coming Dec. 21.

"We will be implementing the new campaign plan starting January 2017. But there will be no formal launching. The CSAFP (Chief-of-Staff, AFP) is expected to announce it in his anniversary speech," he added.

For the moment, the military official said he could not give an exact description of the new AFP campaign plan except a technical working group was formed to craft the study, deliberation and assessments.

"In a nutshell, we can say the new AFP campaign plan is about the military possible role in nation building and defeating the enemies of the state or threats to national security," Arevalo said.

The US-led MCC has deferred voting for the re-selection of the Philippines for a second round of grant over “concerns around rule of law and civil liberties” under the Duterte administration. “I understand that we have been stricken out of the Millennium Challenge, well and good. I welcome it,” the President said. AP/Aaron Favila

The days of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) are numbered, President Duterte said yesterday, as he assailed the US for treating the Philippines like “garbage,” especially with the suspension of a $433-million funding grant from the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC).

The US-led MCC has deferred voting for the re-selection of the Philippines for a second round of grant over “concerns around rule of law and civil liberties” under the Duterte administration.

“I understand that we have been stricken out of the Millennium Challenge, well and good. I welcome it,” the President said.

“They (US) do not look at us kindly. We have this huge problem… actually we do not need it. We can survive without American money. But you know, America, you might also be put to notice. Prepare to leave the Philippines. Prepare for the eventual repeal or the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement,” he said, adding “So, bye bye America and work on the protocols that would eventually move you out from the Philippines.”

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“Kainin nyo dolyar nyo (Eat your dollars),” he said in remarks during a visit to wounded soldiers in Zamboanga City.

Asked what would happen to US facilities inside the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) camp in Zamboanga, the President said, “They should go.”

He said Filipino soldiers were “10 times better” than their American counterparts.

Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, armed forces spokesman, said at least 107 American troops are still in Westmincom providing training and assistance to their Filipino counterparts in the war against terror.

Signed in 1998, the VFA allows the US to deploy troops on a rotational basis to the Philippines as well as station equipment and facilities inside Philippine military camps subject to certain restrictions.

The US has criticized Duterte’s vicious war on illegal drugs, which has left more than 5,000 suspected drug offenders dead.

Critics said the anti-drug campaign has effectively endorsed summary executions but Philippine officials have denied the allegation.

Angered by the criticisms against his narcotics crackdown, Duterte had said he would review all military agreements with the US and scrap joint drills that, he claimed, were only beneficial to the Americans.

Duterte also declared he would “separate” himself from the US but his officials clarified later he was just stressing the need for a more independent foreign policy.

Duterte said the US has been treating the Philippines like a “doormat” and “garbage” and has been using aid to impose its will on Filipinos.

“Huwag naman tayong babuyin ng ganun (They should not treat us like dirt). We have this four million (drug addicts) and you are treated as if you are a garbage or a doormat,” the President said.

“And the Philippines historically is like a doormat because every time that they criticize us, it’s always tied to a statement that we’re losing assistance. You picture us as if we’re patay gutom (starving for crumbs),” he said, with expletives.

Duterte said the US should just leave the Philippines if it thinks the country is too dangerous. He also chided the US for raising human rights issues while “turning a blind eye” on the Philippines’ drug problem.

“If you think that there is crime there because we execute people…So why don’t you just leave and if you think that there is extrajudicial killing here –it’s a prevalent one, it’s a virulent practice, you know,” he said, adding the US should bare its real intention for entering into VFA with the Philippines.

“We will never be ready to fight with China. It is you who is egging a fight there. We will never fight with Russia. That’s too far away and besides, we are friends,” he added.

Duterte also shrugged off the US State Department’s move to halt the sale of some 26,000 rifles to the Philippine National Police (PNP), saying the Philippines can always turn to Russia or China for its arms needs.

“Russia came forth and said ‘no problem.’ As I use the word, buy one take one. China is actually, I’ll tell you now…China has been communicating with us everyday and I think I’ll send the defense secretary. They said the guns are ready,” he said.

Duterte is convinced that the MCC’s decision to defer a grant to the Philippines was a last ditch effort of the Obama administration to undermine his leadership.

“Somebody gave me a document that was passed on to me in Hong Kong, it says about undermining Duterte. Maybe they would agitate, well you know, and I said, God says I am a President. God says you are only President for six months, fine, I’ll go,” he said.

Duterte noted that incoming US president Donald Trump was not hostile to him.

“He (Trump) said that you know, I know that we have a bad fix between our two nations. I said, ‘yes sir. And I’m sorry for that, but it is not really your institutions but our people there in Washington DC’,” Duterte said.

“He was very nice, very courteous, I could not sense any hostile drift, or even the manner he was saying it … I’ll just wait. I will let Obama fade away and if he disappears then I will begin to reassess.”

Duterte was all praises though for new US Ambassador Sung Kim, whom he described as “a very good ambassador” and “very courteous.”

‘Kindest soul’

On the prospect of losing an MCC grant, Duterte said he is not bothered at all as China has pledged to provide the Philippines billions in aid.

“China communicated to us. They’re giving us $50 billion. So what do I need America for?” he said, adding that “China has the kindest soul.”

“We are glad that we are freed from proving anything to the United States. We do not need the money. China said they will provide… we will give you the money. So, bye bye America and work on the protocols that would eventually move you out from the Philippines.”

While he is not inclined to forge new military alliances, Duterte said he would send soldiers to Beijing for training on the use of weapons to be provided by the Chinese government.

The Philippines and China are embroiled in a territorial dispute over some areas in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea, where about $5 trillion in trade passes through annually. China claims about 90 percent of the area but this is being contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

In 2013, the Philippines under then president Benigno Aquino III challenged before a UN-backed international tribunal the legality of China’s sweeping maritime claim, calling it “exaggerated” and “excessive.”

The Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines last July and invalidated China’s claim. China has refused to recognize the ruling, saying it was “illegal since day one.”

Duterte had said he would set aside the arbitral ruling “in the meantime” but maintained that he would not bargain with China on the issue.

Meanwhile, Sen. Loren Legarda urged the administration to ask the MCC to reconsider its decision.
Legarda, chair of the Senate finance committee, said multilateral institutions or states usually rely on their individual judgments on the granting of assistance, and based on their own set of parameters.

There will be a reshuffle of commanders in major units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the coming weeks, said Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla.

Padilla said here the reshuffling of leadership was a result of the retirement of previous officials, including former AFP chief of staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya early this month, and the movement of key officials to the higher positions.

“With the pending retirement of our previous officials there will be a reshuffle of our people,” Padilla told newsmen.

He said most of the reshuffle will be in the major units where officials are scheduled to retire.

However, Padilla said they cannot confirm yet the changes of leadership until they receive the advice from the AFP Board of Generals.

The President expresses a Christmas wish: 'Maybe we can resume fighting some other day'

SALUTE. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte salutes one of the soldiers wounded in recent military encounters with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Basilan, as he visits Camp Navarro General Hospital in Zamboanga City on December 17, 2016. Photo by Robinson Ninal Jr/Presidential Photo

President Rodrido Duterte on Saturday, December 17, said he wishes for a peaceful Christmas.

In an interview with the media after his visit to wounded soldiers confined at the Western Mindanao Command’s Camp Navarro General Hospital in Zamboanga City, Duterte said, “Maybe we can resume fighting some other day.”

He also greeted communists and the Abu Sayyaf in behalf of the Filipino people a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Take care of soldiersSoldiers confined at the Western Mindanao Command’s hospital were wounded in encounters with the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.

Duterte was quoted in reports as saying, “We should take care of all soldiers. They are giving up their lives for this republic…and there’s no peace after pain and suffering.”

Encounters between the military and the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu have persisted, resulting in the reported deaths of 3 soldiers and at least 3 terrorists during a firefight last week in Patikul. At least 17 soldiers were reported wounded.

Armed Forces spokesman Restituto Padilla said the families of soldiers who were killed were given more than half a million pesos in financial assistance. This is inclusive of P250,000 from the Presidential Social Fund, P200,000 from the Armed Forces, and P80,000 in funeral assistance.

An adviser of President Rodrigo Duterte met last week with Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) "Commander Bravo" over allegations that the latter has established his own government in Lanao del Sur with the backing of drug traffickers.

Presidential Adviser on OFWs and Muslim Concerns, Secretary Abdullah Mama-o on Sunday said he went last November 10 to the mountain lair of Commander Bravo, whose real name is Abdullah Macapaar.

Macapaar denied receiving payoffs from narcotics dealers in Metro Manila and other provinces in exchange for protection, Mama-O shared.

"We held the meeting inside a mosque in his mountain hide-out in Lanao del Sur in the presence of his men. Bravo clarifies that his operations in the MILF NWMF (Nortwestern Mindanao Front) were, in fact, in support of the President’s anti-drug war," said Duterte's adviser.

Macapaar also claimed that drug syndicates were responsible for spreading false information to trick the President into thinking that he has set up a rebel government.

"He [Bravo] said his command will continue complementing the President’s drive against the scourge of drugs. He also said that he abides by the on-going peace process between the government and the MILF," said Mama-O.

From the Sun Star-Manila (Dec 18): Duterte adviser: MILF's Bravo denied forming own gov't in MindanaoPRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered his senior official to talk with a commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who allegedly established his own government in Mindanao and reportedly involved in illegal drugs.

In a statement, Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers and Muslim Concerns Secretary Abdullah "Dabs" Mama-o said he met with MILF Commander Abdullah Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, in his mountain lair in Lanao del Sur on December 10.

"In line with President Duterte's directive, I immediately sought a meeting with Commander Bravo. We held the meeting inside a mosque in his mountain hide-out in Lanao del Sur in the presence of his men. [Commander] Bravo clarifies that his operations in the MILF NWMF [Northwestern Mindanao Front] were, in fact, in support of the President's anti-drug war," Mama-o said.

Bravo and his group allegedly established their own government in southern Philippines and have been receiving payoffs from drug dealers and distributors in Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, the Visayas, and other parts of the country who had come down to Lanao to hide from the authorities.

According to Mama-o, Bravo denied the allegations against him and asserted that the drug syndicates cooked up wrong information that reached the President to make it appear he was setting up a separate government.

"He [Bravo] said his command will continue complementing the President's drive against the scourge of drugs. He also said that he abides by the on-going peace process between the government and the MILF," he said.

Mama-o submitted a report to Duterte regarding his meeting with Bravo.

The Islamic State (IS) is now “desperate” and may be looking to the Asean region as its next terror base instead of the Middle East, says Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. “The Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist groups have stated their support for the Islamic State."

“If they (IS fighters) flee from Iraq and Syria as what is happening now in Aleppo, Mosul and Raqqa, I hope the cooperation between Asean countries can be increased as there is a possibility that they might create an Islamic Caliphate in our region,” he told reporters after attending the 2016 graduation ceremony of offi­cers at the Royal Military College (RMC) here yesterday.

“That is why a strong regional cooperation among Asean countries is vital to prevent this from happening. We have to cooperate closely to make sure these worries do not become a reality."

“They (IS) are quite desperate. If they have already gained a foothold in the region, by then it will be too late.”

Hishammuddin said one example of Asean cooperation on the issue was the trilateral agreement between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, where they would conduct coordinated patrols, joint patrolling and hot pursuits.

“These three SOPs (standard operating procedures) have been agreed upon and is now at a level that we have never seen before,” he added.

On news reports that China is placing military assets on islands in the South China Sea, Hishammuddin said his letters to his China counterpart, Minister of Defence and State Councillor Gen Chang Wanquan, and US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter would be referred to the Foreign Ministry.

He added that the South China Sea dispute on the overlapping claims on the islands fell under the purview of the Foreign Ministry.

“But our navy will work to ensure that there are no untoward incidents in the South China Sea,” he said.

It was reported that Malaysia would seek clarification from China on claims it was placing military assets on disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that China appeared to have installed weapons on the seven artificial islands in the South China Sea.

Bomb scares, explosions, public officials killed – Rappler compiles a list of the violent incidents that have erupted as of mid-December in the Philippines

Aside from the administration's bloody crackdown on illegal drugs – which has racked up over 6,000 victims – there's been a number of violent incidents in recent months adding to the body count of Filipinos killed.

At least 5 public officials have been killed under varying circumstances. Bomb scares were reported in different parts of the country – with some reported hoaxes happening on the same day. In Southern Philippines, there have been at least 3 blasts reported – including the deadly Davao City bombing attack, which left 15 people dead and over 60 others injured.

Here's a list of violent incidents reported in the media in recent months, and where these have occurred. We will be constantly monitoring and updating this list.

Blasts, attempted bombings

September 2, 2016: Explosion at the Roxas Night Market, Davao City

An improvised explosive device (IED) caused the deadly blast that left 15 people dead and over 60 injured. The incident prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare a nationwide state of lawlessness in response to the deadly attack. The Abu Sayyaf earlier claimed responsibility for the attack, but the group later denied this. In October, 3 suspects – members of the Maute group – were arrested in relation to the attack. Four more suspects were arrested later in the month.

A day after the Davao bombing, a transmission tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in North Cotabato was bombed, damaging the tower. In South Cotabato, a grenade was lobbed near the house of Polomolok Vice Mayor Elias Jovero, damaging the ceiling and glass windows of the house. No one was hurt in the incident.

September 26, 2016: Blast in a Muslim compound in Quezon City

Four policemen and 3 barangay personnel were injured after unidentified assailants threw a hand grenade at the victims, who were about to patrol the Al Salaam Mosque Compound in Quezon City. Police said drug syndicates may be behind the attack, after 217 suspects were arrested in two raids.

November 28, 2016: IED found near the US embassy

Witnesses reported a "suspicious package" being dropped off by a person riding a taxi around 2 am. The IED was found inside a carton box on the sidewalk of Roxas Boulevard, near the US embassy. The explosive was composed of a blasting cap, a detonator, a cellular phone, and a 9-volt battery. Police said the box also contained an 81-mm mortar, similar to the one found in the September explosion at a Davao night market. Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said the bomb try was an "attempted act of terrorism” by the Lanao del Sur-based Maute terror group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS).

December 7, 2016: Blast in Iligan City

An unidentified individual threw a grenade at the public plaza in Iligan City, injuring 4 bystanders. Iligan City is an hour away from Marawi City, where law enforcers are tracking down the Maute terror group.

Public officials killed

October 27, 2016: Erwin Sarmiento, barangay councilor of Jubay in Liloan town, Cebu, was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding men. Police said the killing may be related to Sarmiento's involvement in the illegal drug trade.

October 28, 2016: Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom of Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in Maguindanao and 9 others were killed in an alleged shootout with state operatives in Makilala, North Cotabato. The Maguindanao mayor, who was named in the drug list of President Duterte, and his convoy were flagged down at a checkpoint “based on information that the group will transport illegal drugs to Maguindanao and Cotabato area.”

November 5, 2016: Albuera mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr was killed inside his cell at the Leyte Sub-Provincial Jail in Baybay City, in a supposed shootout with personnel from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). Espinosa allegedly resisted arrest when the CIDG tried to serve a search warrant in connection with illegal possession of firearms. The National Bureau of Investigation, however, said the incident was a "rubout."

November 17, 2016: Art Lachica, the Bureau of Customs' Deputy Commissioner for its Internal Administration Group, was shot on España Boulevard in Manila, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.

November 21, 2016: Jonas Amora, Bureau of Internal Revenue regional director of the Makati City Revenue Region 8, was on his way to work when two motorcycle-riding individuals shot at him. The incident occurred at the corner of Major Santos Dizon and Katipunan Avenue in Barangay Escopa 2, Quezon City.

What happened in the past 6 months?

It was the September explosion at the Davao City night market that seemed to have set off a flurry of bomb threats and hoaxes in several schools and government agencies in various parts of the country. Some of these hoaxes targeted several institutions and were made on the same day.

While many of the bomb scares happened in Metro Manila, only two actual incidents of an explosion or a bombing attempt have occurred there: the September blast in a Muslim compound in Quezon City, and the foiled bombing attempt at the US embassy in November.

Meanwhile, the killings of public officials were distributed around the country: 2 incidents in Luzon, 2 in the Visayas, and one in Mindanao.

In declaring a state of lawlessness, the President emphasized that it was not martial law and that it does not involve the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. It only meant that checkpoints would be set up and more law enforcers would be deployed.

Yet despite his assurance – aimed at easing critics' fears of another martial law regime – Duterte would later issue warnings that seemed to contradict his earlier pronouncement.

In October, a month after declaring a state of national emergency, he admitted that he was tempted to declare martial law supposedly because of the extent of the Philippines' drug problem. But he added that he settled on declaring a state of lawlessness instead because he was told that martial law was "not feasible."

In early December, days after the foiled bombing attempt at the US embassy, the Philippine National Police said that it is on "terror alert level 3." Under the Terror Threat Advisory System of the Anti-Terrorism Council, an area is placed under Threat Level 3 "when a terrorist attack is a strong possibility within a short period of time.” [Addie Pobre and Cathrine Gonzales are Rappler interns studying journalism at Polytechnic University of the Philippines]

U.S. Naval Ship Bowditch, shown in 2002, was conducting survey work along the sea floor in the South China Sea using at least two of the underwater drones about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines. Photo: ReutersThe Pentagon and China’s Defense Ministry said an American underwater survey drone that a Chinese naval vessel seized in the South China Sea would be returned to the U.S., ending a brief standoff that comes as China shows resistance to U.S. maritime surveillance in the region.

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said on Saturday that the U.S. had “secured an understanding” that China would return the underwater survey drone, after engaging directly with Chinese authorities. He didn’t say when or how the device, which a Chinese vessel seized on Thursday, would be returned.

His announcement came hours after the Chinese Defense Ministry said its navy rescue ship had retrieved the “unknown device” because it posed a safety risk to ships and sailors. China said its authorities would return the drone, having identified it, but accused the U.S. of being unhelpful by going public with the incident on Friday. “The U.S. side’s unilateral public hyping is inappropriate and not conducive to a resolution of the issue,”the Chinese Defense Ministry said.

President-elect Donald Trump criticized the seizure on Saturday, days after provoking Beijing’s ire by suggesting his administration may abrogate a decadeslong agreement on the status of Taiwan if Beijing doesn’t make concessions to U.S. interests.

“China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters—rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act,” Mr. Trump wrote in a Twitter message. His original tweet on the subject on Saturday called the seizure an “unpresidented act,” but a replacement message corrected the spelling error.

Later Saturday, he wrote another Twitter message saying: “We should tell China that we don’t want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!”

China’s seizure of an American underwater drone in the South China Sea marks an escalation of Beijing’s efforts to block U.S. naval surveillance and likely reflects rising concern about the U.S. tracking Chinese submarines.

The Pentagon said the drone was gathering oceanographic data near the Philippines when the Chinese navy captured it in international waters. Though the Pentagon described it as an unclassified operation, defense experts said the U.S. often uses data from such drones to track foreign submarines and navigate U.S. subs.

“These drones appear to be most directly relevant to anti-submarine warfare,”said M. Taylor Fravel, a maritime security expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.They could help the U.S. Navy “to fine-tune sonar readings and thus track Chinese subs,” he said, though it is difficult to interpret this incident without knowing what other vessels were in the area.

China has rapidly expanded its undersea fleet in recent years, causing the U.S. to intensify its tracking efforts and Beijing to search for ways to evade detection. Chinese attack submarines have ranged far into the Indian and Pacific oceans, according to U.S. officials. They expect that Beijing will soon begin patrols by submarines bearing nuclear missiles, most likely in the South China Sea.

The Pentagon said the drone was captured about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, site of a former U.S. naval base that is still visited regularly by U.S. Navy vessels.

That location, analysts said, suggests the interception is a rare, possibly unprecedented, instance of China directly impeding U.S. naval surveillance in international waters, outside the “nine-dash line” on maps by which Beijing delineates its claim to almost all the South China Sea.

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!

7:59 PM - 17 Dec 2016

10,140 Retweets32,100 likes

China has long objected to U.S. surveillance operations inside the “nine-dash line” where Beijing’s claims are contested by several other governments and where Chinese ships and planes regularly confront U.S. vessels, many of which are searching for Chinese submarines.

Experts said the incident could be an attempt to widen a wedge between the U.S. and the Philippines, a U.S. ally, or to test the resolve of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump after he suggested he would challenge China on trade and territorial issues. Beijing could also be trying to exploit inertia in Washington in the waning days of the Obama administration.

The drone, captured while the U.S. Naval Ship Bowditch was trying to retrieve it, was a “glider” which moves slowly through the water for weeks or months gathering data on the sea’s depth, salinity and currents, according to the Pentagon.

Such data is vital for submariners who need to avoid obstacles on the seabed while using the water’s currents, salinity and temperature to evade detection through sonar signals. In the last few years, the U.S. has developed and deployed gliders and other undersea drones carrying acoustic sensors that listen for submarines.

One U.S. official said the captured vessel was a Littoral Battlespace Sensing glider or similar underwater drone.

The LBS glider was developed for the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, which provides communications and information warfare systems for the Navy, and was designed for deployment on all Navy oceanographic survey ships like the Bowditch, the command has said.

A statement on the Navy’s website last year said those ships had been equipped with LBS gliders and other underwater drones, which together aid “with executing anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare and special warfare operations.”